Barely had the doors of the chamber been open for a second before Flash had to duck to avoid an oncoming chair that had been thrown out of it, presumably out of rage by one of the two within. Despite the fact that Flash was almost certain that there's hadn't actually been any chairs in there last time he was present, he concerned himself instead with simply entering the place, with the promised drinks along with him. "Your beverages?"
Instantly, Discord's cup vanished from the tray, appearing in the draconequus' hand a moment later. "About time too!" he said indignantly, gulping the thing in one go. Flash approached Solaris, bowing his head before presenting the empty cup that had been requested. "And for you, Sir?"
The cup levitated, now hovering just a short distance from the skeleton. "I ALWAYS ENJOYED HOLDING THESE WHEN AROUND OTHERS, EVEN IF THERE WAS NOTHING IN IT. ADDED AN AIR OF CLASS TO THINGS."
"Goodness knows you needed it," Discord remarked under his breath.
Flash looked from one to the other before settling on Solaris. "So...talk about anything interesting?"
"ONLY A COMPLETE RUNDOWN OF EVERY SINGLE FAILURE IN DISCORD'S JOURNEY TO BE A BETTER PERSON."
"They were not 'failures' you old bag of bones!" Discord spat back.
"I'M LEGIT SURPRISED ANYPONY IN THIS LAND HAS ANY TOLERANCE FOR YOU AFTER EVERYTHING YOU'VE PULLED."
Discord scoffed. "Oh really?" Then, he smirked as he looked to Flash. "You there. Tell him I'm one of the goodies now and you all see me as one of your own."
Flash didn't look at him, instead keeping his gaze on Solaris. "Princess Twilight and her friends have accepted him as a friend and ally."
To that, Discord's shoulders slumped slightly. "Maybe with a bit more feeling?"
Flash looked away. "I've said all I need to."
Though he'd tried to hide it, there was something in his tone that had slipped through, and Solaris was sure to make note of it. "SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAVE AN ISSUE, SENTRY. IF IT'S FURTHER CRITICISM OF DISCORD, I'M ALL EARS. METAPHORICALLY SPEKAING OF COURSE."
With full understanding of who he was with, Flash knew full well that there was little he was going to be able to do to avoid direct questioning like this. So, setting his own drink down, he finally looked Discord right in the eye. "You and I have met before today. Do you remember?"
"Can't say I do," Discord answered. "You don't exactly come across as the most distinct stallion."
"Well...perhaps you remember the day you came to Canterlot...with your centaur friend?" As soon as Flash had asked that question, Discord's entire demeanor changed. Suddenly, he was uncomfortable, unwilling to look at Flash, which gave the latter an opening to reply. "I was part of many patrols sent out by Captain Shining to keep an eye peeled for him. And like everypony else that day...we found him." He winced as he recalled that dark day. "We stood no chance. In moments we were drained, powerless, left prone on the floor." His eyes narrowed as he regarded the mischief-maker before him. "But what I remember most of that moment is your laughter." He stepped forward, pointing to him. "I was one of his victims, Discord. I was one of your victims." He took a moment to calm himself, but when he spoke again it was with steel in his voice. "The Princess sees you as a friend...but I do not. And I don't think I'm alone in that."
A long and terrible silence fell over the chamber. Flash's anger had been spent, but it still lingered in the air. Discord said nothing, and his face was hard to read, even as he continued to refuse to look at anyone. After a while though, Solaris broke the quiet. "WELL, DRACONEQUUS? HAVE YOU ANYTHING TO SAY FOR YOURSELF?"
Only after he'd been directly addressed by the king did Discord deign to look to either of them, and when he did so it was with a look that actually seemed troubled. "I've made my fair share of missteps in my life..." For a moment, he looked like he was actually going to try and defend his actions. But, after a while, he sighed, his shoulders falling. "But that one? It's the one that always hurts to think about." Turning, he looked right at Flash. "I'm...I'm sorry."
Flash opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by Solaris. "WAIT. HOLD UP. WHAT THE FLIP DID YOU JUST SAY?"
Discord frowned at him. "I said I'm sorry! Do you need me to say it differently or something?!"
"DIFFERENT IS RIGHT. I'VE KNOWN YOU FOR MILLENNIA, YET I HAVE NEVER HEARD YOU APOLOGISE FOR ANYTHING."
"Well...I'm apologising for something now," Discord threw back. Again, he looked to Flash. "I did a lot of wrong that day. More wrong than anything else in my life. My friends forgave me. But...I know it'll take a while for you to do the same. And if you don't...then I can't really blame you."
Flash continued to glare at him for a time, but then, after a solid minute, his expression softened. "...It's alright."
Discord blinked at him. "Wait...really? Just like that?"
A long exhale escaped the stallion. "Yeah. I guess...I guess the worst of it for me was just never getting the chance to outright say all of this stuff. I was angry, and everypony just sort of accepted that your and the heroes of the nation were friends, so...it was left for me to just stew in." He took a breath, calming himself further, then looked up to the spirit. "I think...we're good."
Nervously, Discord scratched the back of his head. "Um...okay then? Gonna have to unpack that later in my free time."
"I MUST CONFESS, THIS IS UNEXPECTED," Solaris remarked. "FOR YOU TO ACTUALLY FEEL REMORSE AND APOLOGETIC? NOTHING COULD HAVE TAKEN ME ABACK MORE THAN THAT."
Slowly, Discord's trademark smirk returned. "Oh? Then what you're saying is...you were wrong?"
"...I AM NOT SAYING IT."
"Say it!"
"NO."
"I want to hear you say it. No, I need to hear you say it!" Discord insisted.
"...FINE. I WAS WRONG."
Discord punched the air in triumph. "Ha! Oh, it may have taken thousands of years for me to finally hear that, but it was so worth it!"
"I HATE YOU SO MUCH RIGHT NOW."
Discord snapped his fingers and winked at him. "Love you too, big guy."
Flash sighed and shook his head. "Like a pair of immortal toddlers, I swear."